A wide variety of electrical connectors are known in which an electrical conductor, such as an electrical wire having a stripped distal end to expose the conductor, is terminated in a terminal which clamps the conductor. In some such terminals, portions of the terminals are crimped to clamp the conductor. In other terminals, commonly called wire trap terminals or connectors, the wire is inserted into the terminal or connector and is physically grasped by movable portions of the terminal. This invention is directed to such wire trap-type terminals.
One of the problems in using wire trap terminals and/or connectors is in applications employing stranded wires. Often, the stranded conductors lose their integrity or reliability because of the normal tendency of the strands to spread out. In fact, some wire trap terminals themselves have a tendency to spread the strands and destroy good contact force retention. This is particularly true where the terminals are forced, as by a housing, toward their clamping conditions Although the present invention is quite useful for use with solid conductor wires, it is particularly applicable for use with stranded wires because of its tendency to "gather" the conductor strands as described hereinafter.